1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to methods of assembling and installing electronic component systems, and more particularly, to methods of assembling and installing electronic systems comprised of one or more separate printed circuit boards.
2. Background and Prior Art
Electronic circuit board systems, containing both semiconductor memory and logic as well as hard wired components such as power supply related components, switches, interface units, etc., are present in virtually every area of present day technology, from communications to consumer electronic goods, automobiles and other transport vehicles and personal computing systems.
Typically, the servicing and installation of such systems are complicated tasks requiring the use of extensive installation and repair manuals. Because of the large number of wiring connections which exists, such printed circuit board systems are susceptible to errors in installation and repair.
Conventional printed circuit systems further include on a single board components such as fuses, power converters, relays, and interface components which are hard wired into the system and which are not prone to failure, in combination with semiconductor memory and logic components such as RAM, ROM, and microprocessor components which can be easily damaged and which must be replaced.
If a single semiconductor logic component on a circuit board becomes damaged, frequently it is necessary for the entire board to be replaced because of the prohibitive time and cost involved in replacing the damaged semiconductor component. Thus, the failure of a relatively inexpensive semiconductor component may necessitate that an entire circuit board be replaced, including more costly hard wired components such as power supplies and interface units.